First drive: 2011 Toyota Avalon

Originally published: May 20, 2010

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St John’s, Nfld.: The Toyota Avalon has always struck me as a nice enough car but stuck with something of an identity crisis — not extravagantly luxurious but certainly no chump on the pecking order of fine cars.

Indeed, there’s nothing about the Avalon that’s overtly ostentatious, nothing that shouts “look what I bought” to the neighbours in Forest Hill, no AMG or M-like performance options, no $6,000 stereo upgrades, not one ounce of burled walnut trim from some never-heard-of tropical forest. Heck, there’s not even an all-wheel-drive option.

Still, with a starting price at just more than $41,000, the Avalon sits so near the Lexus ES I could never figure out why someone would choose the Toyota over the more mouth-watering Lexus brand, not to mention all the service excellence and brand cachet Lexus customers enjoy. And if it were about saving a few thousand dollars, surely one would opt for the Camry, which has itself grown into a fine and comfortable sedan.

“The Avalon is for people who do not want a flashy car but at the same time want to indulge themselves,” says Toyota Canada spokeswoman Sandy Di Felice at the Canadian launch here on the beautiful Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland.

“It’s the epitome of elegance for those who want a sophisticated road cruiser.”

And while the new car might not look substantially different at first blush from the outgoing model that first appeared in 2005, the 2011 Avalon sees a number of body enhancements, most notably a chrome grille that would embarrass a Lincoln Continental Mark IV.

There’s some new sheetmetal in the Avalon, along with new projector headlamps that utilize new-for-Toyota light-pipe lighting in the headlamps and tail lights, which add more character to the car.

The car doesn’t look radically different from the outside, but inside the cabin, there’s a look and feel that leans on the Lexus side, and that’s when you sense this car is all about understatement.

The all-new interior is more intuitive. The instrument panel houses Optitron gauges that are clear and bright, and other digital numbers throughout the interior are good for the eyes of the 35-to-55 age group expected to buy this five-passenger sedan. Bluetooth hands-free phone and music streaming is now standard, as is an iPod connection.

Assembled in Kentucky alongside the Camry, Camry Hybrid and Venza, the new Avalon comes in only one trim level in Canada, the XLS, which is loaded with all of Toyota’s latest technology, so you don’t have to worry about spending hours sifting through an options sheet. The only extra you can buy is pearl white metallic paint at $220.

Standard features include heated leather seating, reclining rear seats and Toyota’s latest DVD-based navigation system that is now much simpler to operate, as well as a backup camera (but no sensors.) A 12-speaker JBL sound system producing 660 watts and a 12-channel digital amplifier delivering rich and luxurious sound are also standard.

Suddenly, when a loaded-to-the-gills Camry costs about $37,000, the Avalon starts to make a lot of sense. There’s way more room than a Camry, especially in the back seat, and the car feels so much more opulent than the Camry.

Even the ride is Lexus-like, smooth and quiet with nary a hint of vibration or harshness. The 3.5-litre V6 pulls more than adequately at all speeds with 268 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque sending power through a six-speed manumatic transmission to the front wheels.

Fuel consumption is rated at 8.9 litres per 100 kilometres combined; 7.0 L/100 km highway and 10.7 L/100 km in the city, some of the best in this class.

There are more chrome accents, new 17-inch 10-spoke wheels, dual exhaust pipes and reshaped side mirrors with integrated turn signals. No, they don’t seem like big things on the surface, but all the changes go a long way to give the car a more interesting signature.

Restyled at Toyota’s Calty Design Research in Newport Beach, Calif., the 2011 Avalon is certainly not an outward expression of egoism. No, the Avalon, goes about its business delivering a quiet, confident and reliable ride that seems exclusive to those who own them or who have driven them.

Even Toyota Canada’s sales expectations for the car, at between 350 and 500 units, seems unusually modest, especially given the ride quality, numerous standard features and a price that’s about $5,000 less than the outgoing model.